


Griffin Village - Seasons

by LindirsArchives



Series: Wonderbolt [5]
Category: The Good Doctor (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Autistic Character, Canonical Character Death, Fuck you David Shore, Gen, Multi, One Shot Collection, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:00:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23457439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LindirsArchives/pseuds/LindirsArchives
Summary: A collection of The Good Doctor fanfictions based of the songs from the album 'Seasons' by JackleApp
Relationships: Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Series: Wonderbolt [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1627114
Comments: 11
Kudos: 9





	1. Summer

**Author's Note:**

> Hey hey hey!  
> Neil Melendez dìed? Fuck that  
> Because I hate how Melendez died, all of my fics will have Neil Melendez in it one way or another  
> Also I have some things to say  
> 1) I have no knowledge of medicine or medical stuff so I'm so sorry  
> 2) I'm still inexperienced in writing autistic characters. So I'm sorry for misinterpretation  
> Open for constructive criticism!

The first step Jared took in San Jose, a wave of nostalgia suddenly hit him. Everything was so familiar yet so distant to him. It was summer. The sun was long gone replaced by the cool breeze of the night

He glanced back at his phone to see a few messages from his relatives. He had taken a few days leave just to go to his father's funeral. If he was being honest, he didn't miss him, nor did he cry when he got the news. His father was a snobbish asshole and he was never a father to him. He abandoned him when he needed him the most and the man had been dead to him ever since. But his relatives had insisted him on coming and since Jared is a gentleman, he'd braved himself to go. He didn't come for closure, he came because he's a decent person

So that's how he ended up back in San Jose, away from work, from Denver

Red light. He stopped his car for awhile and took the chance to glance back at the wave of texts from his family. He sighed and scrolled past all of them until finally landing on the one text he had hoped to see for the night

**"THE MELENDEZ MUSKETEERS"**

**Brownie: UR IN SAN JOSE?!! @Jared19 ?!**

**Jared19: Ya**   
**It's my dad's funeral**

**Brownie: Oh. Sorry :(**

**Jared19: Nah it's fine**   
**Tbh the only reason I came was cause my cousins won't stop spamming me with crying emojis sksksksk**

**Brownie: That means you're a decent person, Kalu**

**Bastard: Jared? Decent?**   
**Sorry just choked on my coffee**

**Tatertots** **: How long will you be in San Jose?**

**Jared19: Idk maybe about a week or two? The guys back at Denver said 2 weeks top**

**Bastard: Damn. If I were them I wouldn't give any of you a leave**   
**One second I turn my back the next Murphy got maple syrup all over him**

**Tatertots** **: You promised not to say anything about that anymore**

**Bastard: I just did, Murphy**

**Taterto** **s: :(**

**Brownie: I still can't believe you agreed to attack Alex with a pie just cause Jared said it's "for the vines"**

**Jared19: IT WAS FUNNY THO**

**Bastard: God why am I even here with you kids?**

**Brownie: admit it, you love us**

**Bastard: Over my dead body Browne**   
**WAIT WHY AREN'T YOU TWO WORKING?!**

**Jared19: Lmao**

**Brownie: Shit he knows**   
**Come by for dinner?**

**Jared19: Ok :** )

**Tatertots** **: :=)**

Jared smiled warmly at the texts. If he was being honest, one of the reasons he had agreed to come was to see his two best friends and ex boss. They made this trip a little bit more bearable and that's saying something

The green light flickered and Jared continued his drive. He was nearing St. Bonaventure. The road was pretty clear late at night and he knew the road like the back of his hand. He glanced back at his phone and scrolled through the old messages. A new message appeared from Claire

**Brownie: Where r u? :0**

Jared prompted to reply but a loud horn snapped him out of his daze and back to existance. His head snapped up to see him speeding towards an oncoming car. Before he could register it, the two cars collided with a loud crash

Jared was thrown forward violently, shattered glass filling his vision and some even making it's way to his face. Everything's going blurry and numb. He could hear people screaming and the blaring noises of horns. One last scream echoed through his hearing

"CALL AN AMBULANCE!"

And with that, his vision went black

\--

_Everything was dark_

_Where was he?_

_Why couldn't he see?_

_Why couldn't he move?_

_Nothing_

_There was nothing_

_Not a single voice_

_Nor a single person_

_It was empty_

_Then he heard voices_

_He heard familiar sounds_

_The blare of ambulance siren_

_Is there someone in need?_

_Is he needed?_

_Then the siren turned silent once again_

_He's alone again_

_Nothing to accompany_

_He couldn't move_

_As if he never had a body to begin with_

_Everything was cold_

_What was that noise?_

_He heard another familiar voice_

_"Oh Jared..."_

_The voice was feminime and pained_

_Filled with sorrow and regret_

_He moved to comfort but couldn't_

_Then another voice appeared_

_"He's lost alot of blood"_

_This one was masculine and cold_

_It was calculating but somehow he could sense warmth_

_It grinds with worry_

_He wanted to assure but nothing moved_

_Another voice appeared_

_"Prep him for surgery"_

_This one is also masculine but it's harder than the last_

_Gruff and rough but somehow soft_

_He wanted to reach out but couldn't_

_He could hear beeping noises_

_Steady noises as it follows his heartbeat_

_The rhythm sooths him back to sleep_

_And back to sleep_

_He was back to nothingness_

\--

The time Jared woke up, the sun was already peeking. His eyes felt as if they're burning when the first wave of sunlight hit his area of vision. He moved to stand up but suddenly pain hit him like a ton of bricks, it coursed through his body and seemed to buzz in his head. Something was wrong

"Fuck what happened last night?" His voice was harsh and scratchy but it still sounded like his. He tried remembering but everything hurt too much. He tried to move out of the bed but the pain surged even stronger in his shoulders. He collapsed once again to the white pristine bed. Jared groaned, both in pain and confusion

"What the fuck...?" He looked around from his stiff position to see he's not in his old apartment room nor is he in his cousin's guest room. The place was all too familiar. Jared moved his line of vision to spot the heartbeat monitor beside his bed, gentle beeps filling the room. An IV drip was visible but it didn't take long for Jared to realized where he was

"You're awake!" His attention then moved to the figures standing in front of the door to the hospital room. He could barely make them out but he knew that familiar voice anywhere

"Hey guys" The two scampered towards him immediately, Shaun was hesitant but the thought quickly left him when Jared first smiled at the three. Neil was tempted to do the same but since he's a reasonable man, he instead made his way slowly with care

"We thought we lost you!" Claire spoke with relief, tears filling her eyes and threatening to drop. Jared could only reach a hand out to grab hers

"Well, would take another world war to wipe my annoying ass from the universe, or so Dr. Melendez said once" He could see his former attendee flashing a soft tender smile. It was so surreal to see Neil with such a soft expression. Usually he'd only see it when they're dealing with patients with terminal illness

Then again, he's a patient

"What happened?" He asked, hoping at least they would give him a clue as to why his whole body hurts and why he has a needle in instead of the one sticking the needle in. Claire's eyes turned droopy and tiredness was visible. He turned to see Shaun and Neil sharing an almost identical expression. He couldn't blame them, they had been working all night

"You got into a car accident" With one monotonous statement from Shaun, a million flashbacks came to him. Every second he remembered when the crash happened. He was an idiot for not paying attention to the road and a bigger idiot for getting his car in an accident when he'd just recently finished paying for it

"Well, I guess that explains this" He gave a light pull at the IV stuck in his hand. He sighed, mentally slapping himself for being an idiot

"Stop beating yourself up, Kalu. What matters is that you're alive" He looked up to see Neil's expression slowly morphing to its former self. It was as if he could read minds. But then again, it wasn't really hard to read Jared's mind and Neil had always been the best at deciphring whatever expression he's making

"Guess you're right. I just feel like a total jerk! I can't believe for the first time in what? Months? Years?"

"2 years and 4 months"

"Thank you, Shaun. I can't believe, for the first time in 2 years and 4 months we finally meet again and you guys find me losing a fight with Lightning McQueen. Not the best welcome honestly" Claire snorted and honestly? Jared was offended

"It's fine. Things happen and look on the bright side, at least you don't have to go to your dad's funeral"

"Yeah. I guess you're right"

"So how's the trip back? Anything special since the last time you're here?" He actually thought long and hard for an answer to that, partially because he didn't really pay much attention to the local changes until he's lying on a hospital bed

"I don't know. Didn't really pay attention, mostly cause I was busy complaining" He slowly pushed himself up to sit, enduring the pain coursing through his body

"What did you guys do to this?" He gestured his whole body as he struggled to move his shoulders

"The crash really did a number on you. One large glass shard just got its way into your right shoulder. No vitals were damaged so you'll be fine"

"Yeah but still... Coped up in a hospital instead of going out there and having fun" Jared slumped back onto his back and groaned loudly. He glanced between the three of them and examined their expressions; Claire was concerned and looked like she's ready to give him her kidney if it meant he'd be happy, Neil looked unamused, Shaun was harder to read but he could tell his discomfort from seeing a friend in a hospital bed

"Don't be so down in the glum, Jared. We can still have fun! How about this, after our shift, we'll come right back with something to do" Jared immediately perked up

"Really? Even Dr. Melendez?" Claire nodded

"Even Dr. Melendez"

"Wait, now hold on, I never agreed-"

"The day you went with us to watch Mamma Mia 2 in the cinema is the day you agreed on alot of things"

"What if I have plans?" The other three, even Murphy, _even fucking Murphy,_ was staring at Neil with flat expressions and one eyebrow raised

"Do you really, Dr. Melendez? Do you?" And Claire had the audacity to question his attending like that. But then again, Neil couldn't really object. So he sighed and gave in

"Fine. But I won't be in for too long, I really do have plans with Dr. Lim" The three immediately light up

Tonight was going to be a long night

\--

Jared surfed through channels. It felt weird being at the other end of the stick, with him being a patient and all. All he could do was eat, go to the bathroom, sleep, watch tv. His phone was destroyed in the crash, so were his laptop and most importantly, his Nintendo Switch. Jared groaned as he slumped back to his pillows

"Fuck me" He said under his breath. He glanced at the clock and it read 6:30 They should've been out of their shift bt now. Jared shouldn't be hasty. He knew how it was to be a surgeon, he knew how time is just a concept and how they never really kept track of it. Time's a bitch especially when it's rude enough that it wouldn't wait for him to finish surgery before his favourite villager from Animal Crossing Pocket Camp move out

"Look who it is" Oh he recognized that voice anywhere and it's the voice he's never willing to hear ever again. It's the voice of the demons in his head and the night terrors crawling all over his nightmare. He could sense the presence of evil just with that voice

"Good evening, Reznick" He glanced to see Morgan's expression, no longer the familiar smug he was so used to but rather a gentle smile. He could still spot the glint of competitiveness in her eyes but it's not as apparent. He guessed because he's the patient it's a custom to her

"Didn't think I'd actually see you again, Kalu. When did you come in?"

"Just yesterday. Had to go to my dad's funeral but then I got caught in a fight with Lightning McQueen" Morgan grimaced at the thought and honestly? Mood

"So you got in a car accident?"

"Yeah, basically. What are you doing here? Where's Park?"

"I'm here Kalu because Dr. Lim told me you're here and I wanted to see you. Also, Park went home quickly cause his son and his wife came up" It surprised Jared how those words very easily rolled off her tongue. They were not close at all and to think she came around just to tell him she wanted to see him surprised him to no end

"Okay, uh, that's new. Thank you?" With one last nod, Morgan made her way out of the door. The day had been nothing but collections of fever dreams. He wanted to ask what was that about but was interrupted by his friends and former attending bursting in

"We're here and we brought some things!" Claire almost screeched as she held out a huge ass tote bag. She set it down just by the nearby table and pulled out a monopoly board. Jared was slightly disappointed it wasn't the Harry Potter one, but it's the thought that counts. He moved on to see Neil also setting two large plastic bags down. His room immediately smelled like chinese food. His guilty pleasure

"I hope you're ready for this, Kalu!" Jared smirked mischievously as he slowly but surely sit up straight

"Oh I was born ready, Browne!"

"You better go broke fast, I don't have much time here" Jared snickered at Neil's low complaints

"I expect to see you 200$ in debt to me, Dr. Melendez"

"You're on, Kalu"

\--

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME, SHAUN?! I THOUGHT WE WERE PARTNERS!"

"SHAUN STOP BUILDING HOTELS I'M GOING BROKE OH MY GOD!"

"MURPHY I SWEAR IF I SEE ONE MORE OF YOUR PROPERTY YOU'RE GOING TO SCUT WORK TOMORROW!"

Shaun smiled triumphantly as Jared, Claire, and Neil, all in that order, stepped into his properties. All of which had either one hotel or at least 3 houses. Jared took the most hit as he stepped into a 2000$ debt for a hotel in Boardwalk

"You have to pay, that's the rules" He said with a tinge of smug. Their monopoly night turned from fun haha jokes to a blood bath and upon the dead, stood Shaun with his almost $10.000 worth of hotels and houses

This was the same person that bought a $1600 TV from his first paycheck

"But I don't have $2000! I spent it all on one hotel! How could you have 5 hotels and still not go broke?!"

"Dr. Glassman told me I should manage my own incomes" And the answer was clear and simple, but the three couldn't believe the guy that bought a thousand dollars worth of TV when there's clearly cheaper ones could be the most financially successful out of all of them in monopoly

The game became tighter and tighter until it was clear how it was going. Shaun being a millionaire, Neil staying strong with his 3 houses per lot, and Claire just building her first house. Then there's the other one

"Guys please stop it I'm $1000 in debt right now, please have mercy" Jared cried as he stepped on one of Neil's lot. His battleship was facing defeat as Neil's racing car looms over him with debts, Claire's scottie dog enjoying her stable money income, and Shaun's thimble keeps getting richer and richer

Jared had always hated the thimble and it was for reasonable excuses

"Oh? Is that a sign of defeat, Kalu?" The three were waiting for an answer and Jared couldn't deny it, he's broke. He got $500 left and that would leave 500 in debt. He'd still go broke. Claire noticed her friend's defeat and, being the nice angel she is, she handed him the dices

"We'll give you this one chance to escape. Pay up your debt later" And Jared could honestly feel the angels singing before him as he took the dice. Both Shaun and Neil looked at Claire with looks of betrayal. Jared then rolled the dice and moved his battleship, landing on the Community chest. He took the card and his eyes immediately became wide

"Read it!" The three eagerly waited before Jared cleared his throat and cried

"Pay... $20..." Jared could sob if it weren't for the fact two of his main opponent were staring at him with the mischievous glint in their eyes. He threw the card away and placed battleship down. The war was over. And it was won by a fucking thimble

"Oh don't be so dramatic, Kalu. It's just a game" Neil almost laughed. The sight was amusing

"Jared has never lost a board game before. I remember that one time we played Dungeons and Dragons and he saved our behinds at the last minute" Claire giggled as she remembered back then. After their long shift, instead of going home to rest like instructed, the three decided to hold a game of DnD. They got some well deserved criticism for showing up late

"Take it or leave it, Kalu. None of us had the chance once Murphy placed his first hotel" Shaun puffed up in pride and Neil had to roll his eyes. He regret teaching his resident how to properly be smug

"Y'know what, Shaun? This isn't even the first time, you remember when we were playing the new Animal Crossing and you somehow got a whale shark?! And what did I get? A sea bass?! You curse me, Shaun Murphy, you curse me!"

"Maybe it just means you need to be better" OH HE DID NOT-

"Okay then tough guy, once I get a new Switch, you and me are settling it in Animal Crossing, whoever catches a tarantula first wins!"

"Or, you know, you could focus recovering first" Neil was visibly getting tired watching their banter. First there's sore loser Jared and then there's the attempted sarcastic Shaun which, if Neil was being honest, was a mistake to teach Shaun sarcasm

"Fine" Jared huffed and picked up his noodles, eating it with murder in his mind

"Y'know, we should do this again sometimes" Jared perked up when Claire mentioned a potential hang out

"As much as I hate to admit it but being with you kids are somewhat... Fun?" Jared could burst out laughing if he didn't have a mouth full of noodles

"Aww... You love us!"

"Be quiet, Browne!" Jared watched the two's playful banter and smiled. He knew Claire had feelings for Neil and until today, he doubted he felt the same. But seeing the two being so comfortable around each other made his heart warm and stomach flutter in excitement. He just hoped Claire would have the guts to actually say something sooner or later. If she didn't, he's afraid she'd get her heartbroken. And Jared really didn't want to antagonize their very strict yet very friendly attending

"Visiting hours is almost over" Jared saw Shaun watching the clock as it hits 8:55. The other two seemed to notice and glanced back at him

"Well, we should be going now. But we'll come back after shift tomorrow and I'll bring apples to apples!"

"NO! I hate apples to apples, no one ever picks my card!" Neil warned them, glowering at them. Claire held the need to laugh

"Alright fine, Shaun you still have our Battleship board game?"

"Yes! I will ask Lea to bring it" Jared smiled fondly

"Cool! Now you guys go on, it's getting late!" The three were hesitant before Neil stood up

"I almost forgot I had a plan with Dr. Lim. Well, see you kids tomorrow" Neil then reached out to Jared and gently patted his head

"You better get better, Kalu" And his attending ran out in a hurry but still the same professional posture. Claire was next and he placed a kiss Jared's forehead

"I need to go too. See you guys!" She ran out. Shaun was the last. He tried to reach out with his hands and pulled back instead, using his elbow to nudge Jared a little bit

"I have to go" Jared smiled as he could feel the light nudge on his stomach

"Godspeed, Pilgrim!" Shaun returned the warm smile and ran out of the door

Jared watched as the last of his friends ran out in a hurry. He could cry now, thinking about how his friends were willing enough to stay with him a little later than usual to look after him. The pain on his shoulder was still there but the warmth in his stomach made it a bit bearable. Jared had always been alone before St. Bonaventure. His parents abandoned him and he had always ventured through the world on his own, asking for help from strangers. No friends. No family.

When Claire came around, he felt less lonely. He was sleeping with her but it didn't mean she was not less than a friend to him. Then Shaun came up, he was hesitant but he was determined to befriend him. For the first time, he felt included, he felt as if he had a family that cared for him. And then Melendez came around. They were dysfunctional to say the least, but it was the best family he'd ever had. Even in Denver, he never got along with most of his coworkers. They were stuck up and pretentious. When he came back, it felt as if he's home. Not for his actual family, but for his St. Bonaventure family

Jared slept, knowing he's back home with his family. In the San Jose St. Bonaventure hospital, even if it's temporary and as a patient

It felt good to be home again


	2. Autumn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil found Shaun injured and the instinct settled in

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by Jenny630! They wanted a fic where Shaun gets beaten up and Neil found him
> 
> Firs of all, I would like to apologize if this fic does not fit to your expectations, I'm very sorry. I tried my best with some experimental writing and maybe alot would not like it, maybe this won't be like the expectation, I just hope you enjoy it! :)

Neil Melendez liked to consider himself as a great attending

He treated his residents with the same amount of respect, all of them. But three of them he couldn't help but feel quite attached to. Sure, they made him feel as if he had just has a third migraine, but there's something about them that held a sentimental value to him. It's probably something to do with Jared's awkward but fun loving personality, Claire's kindness and overall motherly love, and of course Shaun's own odd yet lively everyday self

He knew he shouldn't play favourite, god forbid Reznick was already breathing down his neck with his supposedly "favoritism", but the three of them, his three musketeers, held a special place in his own heart. They were annoying, yes, especially Jared. They were naive, yes, especially Claire. And they were certainly disrespectful, especially that little shit Shaun who had called him out more times than necessary. But he knew they had the best intention at heart, and his own punishments and yelling were never beyond anything too harsh. He liked them very much but he'd die first before he could admit that to them

Shaun held the most sentimental values to him. He reminded him much of his own little sister, trying so hard to socialize and fit in. Neil smiled whenever Shaun interacted with others outside of his patients and his team. It was nice seeing him out and about. Like Audrey, Neil had always had a soft spot for Shaun, mainly because he'd grown very fond of him and the paternal instinct settle in, the need to comfort and protect was there when they were needed

So when he saw him lying on the ground hurt, he couldn't help but feel the need to comfort

It was autumn, yellow covered the sky and leaves covered the ground, the trees awaiting the new season of winter to come. To Neil, Autumn was the season of Happiness, pure joy and love. It was Autumn when he met his first two residents; Jared and Claire. It was Autumn when he met his third resident. It was Autumn when three of his residents practically begged for him to go along with their (mostly Jared's) halloween plan of dressing up and cheering up the patients in the pediatric ward. It was Autumn when he fell in love with Audrey Lim. It was Autumn when everything good happened in his life

Somehow, this Autumn made it all different

It was a slow day as it always been in Autumn (which is nice). He had assigned his residents to scut work which he knew the three were just loitering around the nurses counter or the doctor's lounge. He looked for the three, thinking of treating them to lunch because he's being nice and Autumn is a nice season and he thought perhaps a reward for the three for not giving him a migraine for 5 days in a rown

He spotted his three residents were, as expected, loitering while Jared were giving not so subtle gestures while he's hyperventilating, probably something he saw last night on TV or probably ranting about how Shaun destroys his garden in Animal Crossing every damn night

"I mean have you seen the elves eat anything apart from those bread stuff? No! I have reasonable beliefs! Look, Legolas is basically a redneck hick from the forest, fucking Lord of the Flies style. You can NOT tell me he doesn't eat dirt at one point!"

"Elves eat anything they want that are edible. Most are vegetarians. Tolkien had mentioned in the books that Elves, in fact, eat meat. Some do anyway. Also being homeless and being from a realm where there's 90% forest do not prove the fact elves eat dirt" He could hear Shaun answering in an unusually sharp tone

"Jared, you haven't even read the books!" Claire sighed, very tired of his shit

"I don't need to read books to have a headcanon, Claire!"

Neil sighed at the scene before him but later smiled warmly when he saw the three immediately straighten themselves up when they spotted their attending. At least his musketeers knew discipline

"Dr. Melendez, are we needed somewhere?" Jared's tone was all professionalism, his accent even thicker than before. Neil discovered Jared had a tick and that's to revert to his accents whenever in tight situations. It's amusing

"Don't worry. I want to ask you three if you want to go get lunch" The three visibly slumped and sighed in relief. Neil rolled his eyes, amused

"Wait, are you... Treating us to lunch?" Claire had actual surprise and wonder in her tone and Neil could only nod which made the three residents instantly light up

"And if you don't say anything about this, I'll make sure your limbs are still where they're supposed to be when you get your own residents" The three nodded excitedly

"Good. Now you kids just follow me" And the three did. A perfect line behind Neil formed, from the front there was Claire, Shaun, and Jared, all in that order. It reminded him much of stairs since they shift from Claire's smaller and short posture, then Shaun's average, then Jared. A march of bees in a conga line that forms a stair

Once they made it to the hospital's cafeteria, he could hear chattering nearby that caught his attention the most

"I'm sorry, sir, but what is your connection to Dr. Murphy even?"

"Just let me go through! I have a few words to say to that retard!"

"Sir, please refrain from insulting our doctors or we'll remove you from the building"

"Fine! Let me through, I didn't come all the way here just to be stopped by some doctors!"

"I'm sorry sir but we can't let you through. Dr. Murphy could still be in surgery for all we know"

"Then call him!"

Neil paid much attention to the conversation even though it seemed no one around him took interest in it.

_"Dr. Murphy? Is he talking about-"_

"Shaun?" He glanced back to see Shaun sprinting back towards the stairs and going back up. There's something wrong and Neil didn't like the feel to it. He saw Jared and Claire both looking concerned. He guessed those two also paid attention to the exchange

"What was that? Who was that guy?" Fortunately for Neil, Jared was asking the important questions. He guessed everything's important when one of his residents just got called by what seems to be a deranged lunatic of a man demanding he sees hin. Probably about to strangle him or something

"I don't know. But seems like he knows Murphy, somehow. I'm gonna go talk to him, you two just go on ahead and have lunch, tell them I'll pay later" Before he could leave, Claire held him back

"Hold on! We're Shaun's friends! We should be going too!" Neil sighed

"Look, I know you're worried but it's best if it's just me going up. Don't wanna distress him even more" The other two were hesitant but later nodded

"Godspeed, pilgrim!" He wanted to glare at Jared one last time but knew he was wasting time

He found Shaun in the doctor's lounge sitting at the edge of the room on the floor while grasping that toy scalpel. It was clear whoever the man was, it brought back no happy memory with him, none at all. Neil slowly approached Shaun, as to not scare him even more. He slowly settled down beside him, not wanting to block his way. Shaun was breathing heavily, Neil could see the fear and panic. His hair was dishelved and his eyes bewildered. It took a few minutes for Shaun to gather himself together, finally acknowledge Neil's presence

"He's here" It was a simple statement that Neil could've missed had he been zoning out. He? Who's he?

"You know the guy downstairs" He hoped his reluctance in asking questions would make Shaun open up. He's glad it worked. He just didn't think the answer he heard was the answer he expected

"He's my father" And suddenly, it all connected in Neil's mind. Why Shaun was so distressed and all. Neil suddenly wanted to beat him to death. Before Neil could say anything, Shaun continued

"I don't know why he's here. Please tell him to go away and leave me alone!" His tone begged, the desperation visible in his even more bewildered eyes. Neil didn't know what to do. He couldn't just remove someone from the hospital. Maybe there's another way...

"Okay. I'll ask him what he wants and then I'll tell him off. If he still doesn't want to go, I'll call security" He could see Shaun contemplating whether to believe his words or not. Then slowly but surely, he nodded, a few times more than necessary

"Okay" He parroted with his usual sing song tone. And Neil nodded and smiled

"Good. You stay here and relax. I'll tell Jared and Claire to bring your lunch here while I deal with your dad" And with one last glance, Neil left the room to deal with the man, internally hoping he's already gone

He's slightly disappointed to see him still there, arguing with the security

 _"I wonder where his wife is..."_ But Neil decided to forget about his thoughts and focus on his task. He saw Jared and Claire approaching him and all he did was gesture upstairs and uttered very few words

"Doctor's lounge. Accompany him. I'll be there" Both just nodded and brought the two plastic bags upstairs. Neil sighed, it's now or never

"Excuse me, sir, may I help you?" He tried the professional approach, hoping at least this man knows some decency

"Oh great, another one of you doctors! Look, I don't have time, just let me through and let me have a few words with that good for nothing retard and I'll be out of your hair!" Neil hated the tone he's giving, he hated the aura he's emitting, he hated the man as a whole. But, he must stay professional. As much as he wants to put his years of fighting street gangs in high school to good use, he's a doctor

"First of all, I need to ask you to refrain from calling one of our doctors that, and secondly, I don't know who you're referring to" This seems to agitate the man even more

"Don't play dumb with me! You got that autistic son of a bitch here! I'm here to warn you about that idiot! He killed my son!" Neil raised an eyebrow _Murphy has a brother?_ He thought and saved that question foe later

"We really don't know what you're talking about sir, but picking up from what I caught you say, since we only have one doctor diagnosed with autism, I'm guessing you're referring to Dr. Murphy, and he's been nothing but excellent from his 3 years of residency, I can tell that from personal experience with him as his attending. If it's a personal issue, then I'll be asking you to leave and not come back, accusing one of our best residents of such act with no proof whatsoever. And you're disturbing the peace so really, I need you to leave before I contact security" He hoped his big words could scare this man away and thankfully, he left with angry gestures and grumbles. He could faintly hear him say _'You're making a huge mistake'_ And Neil couldn't care less

He left for the doctor's lounge where he found his three residents sitting on the floor with Jared ranting (yet again)

"I mean if I were Alex, I would've accepted being a cool ass half android, that'd be dope"

"Even if at the end of the day they take away your emotions?" Claire raised an eyebrow

"Well, no. But, like, if I got into an accident and all that's left is my head, my lungs, and my heart, I'd DEFINETLY want to be turned into a sexy android, with the emotions of course. I'd probably go into modelling while streaming online games in my head"

"I don't like the robot design very much, they look too mechanic and if they really plan on blending in, they should at least apply some organic material into the outer form"

"No Shaun you don't get it, the exo-skeleton being full mecha IS the one that's making it cooler. Robocop is a classic, don't compare it to some Detroit Become Human knockoff androids!"

"I like the androids from Detroit Become Human. They integrate better with human and they're not scary"

"Oh sure, be a simp for Connor-" Once again, Neil rolled his eyes at their friendly banter. The three noticed their attending and looked up, the humour that was all over the air suddenly disappear and replaced by tense seriousness

"Shaun told us about that man" Claire was the first to say something and Neil nodded, settling down beside her to form a small circle in the edge of the lounge. Jared offered him his lunch and he thanked him

"Is he gone?" Shaun asked, hesitant as the tension grew thicker. Neil nodded, causing his youngest resident to breathe out in relief

"Thank you, Dr. Melendez" The tension immediately left the air as the other two sighed in relief. And thus continuing Jared's own big mouth

"Okay, moving on from Robocop because really, I'm getting tired of it. Shaun, I'm taking away your rights to visit my island in New Horizons!"

"Why?"

"Because you kept ruining my flowers whenever I turn my back! Do you know how much time I spent making those?!"

"You should've made a better garden" Jared had the look of murder in his eyes as Shaun remained smug and oblivious

"You kids just eat your lunch, we have 2 minutes left" The three immediately shut up and continued on with their lunch. He glanced to see Shaun throwing him looks of appreciation even if he's not so good at eye contact, he's getting there. Neil could only smile at the warm gesture

\--

Evening fell and their shift ended a few minutes ago. Shaun waited in his usual bench for the bus to arrive. He was 15 minutes early so it might take awhile. Autumn nights aren't really favourites around him since they were very cold, but to Shaun, the smooth breeze and the chill wafted on his body gave him some of the only good memories back in Casper. When it was getting too chilly in the bus so Steve decided to bundle up near him with shared blankets. Some nights were too cold but his brother's presence made it bearable

20 minutes passed and no sign of his bus yet. It was late. He was used to it late but not this late. Maybe he should've just asked Jared for a ride. Then again, his driving scared him so maybe he really would rather wait

30 minutes passed and still no bus. Shaun was getting agitated at the very late arrival of the bus. The cold no longer a comfortable reminder of his brother but it felt as if it stabbed through his bones. He tried to leave to see if he could still catch another bus at another stop if he walked but was stopped by a hand gripping his shoulder too hard. He flinched and whimpered in pain but the touch didn't budge

"Please, let go of me" He said and turned to see the person. He knew the face well enough and the scent of alcohol hitting his nose burnt and brought him back to the living room where his bunny died. He whimpered and struggled and Ethan finally let go. Shaun scrambled but fell over instead. The man towered over him and it made Shaun fear for the worst

"Should've been you in that grave, you fucking child murderer!" And with one swing of what appeared to be a bat, Shaun felt sudden force against his left arm, shock filled his whole body as it wobbled and fell, his already injured arm hitting the concrete floor and his head hitting the side of the bench. He slowly slipped out of conciousness. He heard voices and saw a glimpse of his father being held down by the hospital security before he's finally taken by darkness

\--

His residents had already taken off without him, probably going to play Mario Kart in Jared's place. Neil smiled to himself, fondly thinking back to his residents. The three of them were great doctors and oversized children in scrubs, but something about their everyday banter and all made him a bit more fond of them

He remembered back to when he met Murphy's dad. All that anger and hatred towards his son, he couldn't think of how such a man could have such a wonderful surgeon for a son. Neil remembered the day his parents abandoned his sister and, automatically, him. He'd heard of Claire's and Jared's being similar, abandoned by their own. He vaguely knew of what Shaun's past was like before this day. He still hadn't brought the brother topic up but he guessed today's already stored enough emotional baggage

Neil walked out of the hospital only to spot security holding Shaun's dad down and an unconcious Shaun just by the bench. Neil dropped his bag and rushed towards his resident, not giving a single damn about the drunken man being held down as police was probably on their way

"Murphy!" He put two of his fingers on his neck, looking for pulse. It was slow, but he's still with him. He glanced at the security

"I need a stretcher to the ER, now!" One of the security dashed back inside to call for help while Neil was left with an unconcious Shaun, fighting the worry already starting to cloud his judgement

Oh what a shit day today was

\--

The next time Shaun opened his eyes, it was noon. He felt sore everywhere, especially his left arm. He tried to move it but a wave of pain hit him like bricks. He glanced down to see his arm on a sling. Then he's reminded of the events last night and froze. It's always been like that. His father would drink too much and get drunk, his mother not even helping out of fear, him doing something wrong, him getting badly injured, Steve jumping infront and also get badly injured even though it's not as bad

He was ecstatic when he left for San Jose. Nervous, yes. Terrified, very. But he convinced himself San Jose is the one place where his father couldn't touch him. His past could no longer linger. Casper didn't feel like home anymore ever since Steve died. He was glad Dr. Glassman brought him in and introduced him to medicine. When he spotted his father again, everything just came flooding back. The whole cycle repeated when his father came back. Nothing has changed

"You're awake" He glanced to see Dr. Lim in his room's door

"Hello, Dr. Lim" Lim gave Shaun a small wave before closing in on his bed

"How are you feeling?" How was he feeling?

"My head hurts and I've accidentally put pressure on my arm so it hurts now too"

"It's a good thing nothing too bad happened. You hit your head against the bench but it's not so much as to cause internal bleeding. Your arm though, fractured but not much so you won't be needing surgery" Shaun nodded

"Thank you, Dr. Lim"

"Oh don't thank me, it was Neil that came. He found you unconcious and decided to take it upon himself to take care of you himself. He was worried that he didn't leave your side even though his shift was over. It took us an hour and he finally went home. He's here now, though" Surprise was an understatement when he heard the first person to immediately respond to his distress was his superior that he called arrogant almost on a daily basis. He really didn't know how else to respond

"Can I talk to him?"

"Sure, Shaun" And she left the room. He waited for an entrance and was nervous when it took so long before Neil appeared and almost ran towards him

"You're okay" Neil said with a tone of relief and a warm smile

"Yes. Dr. Lim said I don't need surgery since the damage was not too bad"

"Well, thank goodness for that, less time out of work" Silence fell over the two for a minute before Shaun opened his mouth

"Is he still here?"

"Who? Ethan Murphy? Don't worry, he's been taken to the police station. He came here all by himself with the intention to get you fired but instead decided that injuring you would be more cathartic. His wife is still in Casper, not aware of his plan, thinking he came here for a business trip" Shaun nodded, relief wash over him. He tried to picture his mother, clueless as ever, actually believed his father going to San Jose was just merely for a business trip. Does his mother even know he's here? Where does his father even find out about his whereabouts?-

"Your dad mentioned something about your brother. Another son he had. What happened?" Shaun stilled, knowing full well the direction of this conversation

"Steve died. He fell down a train. It was an accident" Simple explanation. It gave Neil at least a bit of conclusion to draw. He could hear Shaun's tone becoming lower and alot more quiet, so he dropped the subject

"I'm sorry about him, Shaun. I promised to get rid of him and yet he still came back and assaulted you" Neil groaned and covered his face in his hand

"You didn't know. It was out of your control. He would come back either way, he wouldn't stop until I'm dead"

"Hey, don't be like that. He won't be able to hurt you anymore. And if he does try, I'll be there before he could do anything"

"I'm sorry"

"Again, Murphy, no need to apologize. No one would've expected this"

"But you didn't have to get involved"

"Murphy, no. I did what I did because I cared. Don't worry, okay?" Silence fell and Neil almost regretted saying it. Shaun finally nodded

"Okay" He tried to gesture something to him that Neil didn't catch the first time. He could feel Shaun nudging him with his good arm. His heart fluttered at the gesture. It was small but it meant alot considering how Shaun hated contact. It was great to think Shaun would attempt contact just to show his appreciation

"Thank you, Dr. Melendez" With those simple words, hundreds of emotions just hit him. It felt as if relief and happiness were happening at the same time. The gratitude was simple, small, but it was still there. The only way Neil knew how to react was to smile warmly

"You're welcome, Murphy. Now rest and recover, you might have a chance to miss scut work but it won't last long" Before Neil could leave, two others of his residents burst in already in their lab coats. Both Jared and Claire had worry all over their expressions as they rushed over to their coworker on the hospital bed

"SHAUN THANK GOODNESS YOU'RE ALRIGHT!"

"WHERE IS HE?! I'M GONNA BEAT HIM TO DEATH" Their conversation soon turned to bird chittering and Neil couldn't help but smile

He glanced back at Murphy to see the resident on the bed. Back then, he wouldn't even breathe around him if he could. But he watched, he saw, and he grew. If Neil went back and told past Neil that he would be defending Shaun against his abusive past, he would've laughed. But not now or ever. He knew of his resident, connected to him in ways he couldn't comprehend. He reminded him so much of his sister, which made it harder for him to not care

Autumn was the season Shaun took a hit from his father after years. Autumn was also the season Neil almost lost a resident to their drunken abusive father. Autumn was a reminder for Neil

Autumn was the season that Neil swore, no matter what happened, he would always be there for his residents


	3. Winter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lim sees Shaun at his lowest during the angry wind of winter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is shorter than the rest mostly because I didn't know what to do (oof). Here's a change of pace! The previous two were happy and fuzzy but here? No no we die like men

If you ask her, Lim would definetly say she's a great Chief of Surgery and the fact she'd base her decision making on professionalism, like Marcus did.

But if you ask anyone else, they wouldn't say the same. In fact, based off the experiences of each and every one of the residents, Lim wasn't the professional type of boss, but rather the fierce affectionate type. Shown by the carefully said words spoken in the softest tone, reassurance had been her key way of reporting some bad news because while it is in fact bad news, she thought it wouldn't hurt for people to feel a little bit better about the circumstances, she spoke with a mother's kindness whenever the residents approach her and even when she's frustrated, she kept the tone but with a higher pressure to it

All in all, Lim was a maternal leader from the beginning. And somehow, that affectionate leadership seems to show the most around a certain resident

She wouldn't exactly say she's playing favourite, but something about Murphy really brings out the maternal instincts in her. She likes Shaun, he's like the kid she never thought she'd have. She was tasked by Aaron to look after him and she was more than willing to take it as her responsibility. So far, she could say she did a really great job. Shaun was more than willing to be her second in hand in most surgeries, Shaun was alot more comfortable with eating breakfast with her instead of Aaron, and so on. Lim felt accomplished just from those little things

One day, however, something changed in their pace

It was monday morning and Lim was waiting for Shaun in their usual table in the cafeteria. It was very unusual for Shaun to not show up for breakfast. Actually, now that Lim thought about it, Shaun always showed up for breakfast

 _"Maybe he's just running late?"_ Lim had thought and waited and waited. Until about 30 minutes had passed and she had 15 minutes left before her shift (and Shaun's) started. She sighed and discarded her plate of scrambled eggs and bacon and ventured off to find Shaun

10 minutes and she had not found a single trace of her resident anywhere and decided to march towards the president's office to ask Aaron one or two questions and if he didn't know where Shaun is then they're fucked

She stopped infront of the door only to hear Aaron's voice talking to someone. From the sound of it, she could tell he was talking to Shaun which made her breathe out with relief. But something in Aaron's voice made it short. It sounded alot like he's worried

"How are you?" She could hear Aaron ask carefully and quietly and she could hear Shaun's low tone answering. But something about the tone made it sound... Hopeless

"I'm doing okay"

"Yeah well, you don't look like it"

"I said I'm okay!" She flinched slightly at Shaun's sudden raised tone. There's certainly frustration and if she's not mistaken, his tone fell at the end of that comment. Tiredness, she identified from her maternal instincts

"Okay okay. Shaun, I'm worried. You don't usually do well in this date. I remember when you were in high school you didn't want to get out of your room for a whole day because of the date" _Date? What date?_ Lim wondered to herself while her ears still stuck to the door, listening intently

"Can I go now please? I'll be late for my shift and Dr. Melendez doesn't like it when I'm late" There was desperation and then there was a pause before Aaron finally sighed

"Okay, just, don't think about it much, okay?"

"Okay" She could hear the wooden seat being moved and it was Lim's cue to also move away from the scene, not wanting to be seen evesdropping. Shaun exited the room and marched towards the ER where she could guess Neil was waiting in. Lim sighed and turned to knock on Aaron's door

"Gone fishin'!" Lim rolled her eyes and entered anyway. Aaron looked surprised to see her

"Audrey, what can I do for you?"

"What's wrong with Shaun? He missed breakfast today? Is he in trouble?" She was a direct person, she didn't like small talks when it concerned something so important. Lim knew she just came in a tad bit rude but she really needed to get to the bottom of this. Aaron just shook his head

"It's nothing, really. He came in late so I called him in. He's not in trouble" There was something under there, she could tell he was hiding something. So she just went to the main question

"What date is it today?" She could see Aaron froze in his place. Lim could feel embarassment creeping up. Her need for information blinded her from the fact that perhaps it was a sensitive subject. She opened her mout to apologize but was stopped when Aaron finally answered

"Today is his little brother's birthday. Steven Murphy would've been 25 by now" _Oh. Fuck._ Lim mentally slapped herself. Aaron had told her about his little brother and his fate back then. She internally groaned as she processed the information

"I'm so sorry for asking, I'm intruding-"

"No no, you're not. You're close enough to Shaun and since you've watched over him when I couldn't, I guess the least I could do is tell you" The reassurance did nothing to stop her from mentally slapping herself across the face

"But still... So how's Shaun dealing with this?" Aaron sighed, the tiredness in his eyes much more visible

"Not so well, I think. Usually he'd lock himself in his room during this date. First few years living without his brother was the worse. He wouldn't eat for a whole day or two, wouldn't even come out of his room. Things got better when he entered high school and I thought he was starting to move on, but then his birthday came and the whole day he didn't come out of his room. I was surprised he even showed up today, honestly" Lim raised an eyebrow

"Shaun has been here for 3 years now and I have never noticed him skipping work. Apart from that roadtrip incident with Lea" If only she could smile at the memory but the situation called for something else

"Well I guess his first year being a resident no one noticed him much. He was acting the same way today only to end up being put to scut work which didn't do his mood much better. Second year, I wouldn't say was luck, because his birthday was the same day Shaun was fired" Lim felt a pang of guilt in her chest as she thought back to Shaun's first two years as a resident, how badly they treated him with no second thought without thinking of how it would affect him whole day in general. A small thought in her head envied Shaun for his determination and will, keeping up even with everything that had happened

"I'm so sorry, about the first year-"

"Don't apologize, it isn't your fault, you didn't know. And we can't really look back now, can we? I'm glad you and Neil have decided to give Shaun a chance, and I'm especially glad you've taken a liking to Shaun" Lim could only smile

"Well, who wouldn't? He's an amazing kid, he's doing so much good for this hospital, it only makes sense" The two fell into an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. Lim didn't know why she was suddenly so nervous until the words poured out of her mouth

"Is there... Anything I can do to help?" Aaron actually hummed in consideration and Lim could breathe in slight relief

"You can try distracting him, it'll help if he has something to focus on in his free hours" Lim nodded almost immediately. She thought of things to distract Shaun with and hoped for the best outcome out of it

"I'll try my best. Thank you, Aaron" Before she reached the door, Aaron spoke up, grabbing her attention once again

"Good luck. It'll be alot harder to reason with him today, I hope you understand" Lim nodded and smiled softly

"I understand" And with that, she took off

* * *

All of her life, Lim didn't know how having a sibling felt like. She's an only child to a pair in Taiwan, living in an average environment to say. Sure, there was the expectation on her for being an only child but it was normal nonetheless. She had never experienced the feeling of having another to share a room with, or share a life with. Childhood was lonely being the only kid in the house but she had never had the thought of having a sibling

She didn't know how it felt to have someone being next to her from the start. She really couldn't imagine what Shaun felt, considering everything. But she knew how it felt like to lose someone so close, and that someone close wasn't even blood related, to lose someone and having them be your younger sibling? She could only imagine her pain but 10 times worse

So when she spotted Shaun sitting in the empty cafeteria at night, staring out of the glass walls to the outside world with a cup of hot chocolate, she knew she needed to do something to minimize the pain

"Hey Shaun" The resident didn't even look back, he just continued staring out on to the falling snow drops and the building snow on the ground. It was Winter, the season of cold and famine, but beauty and peace. Sadly for Shaun's case, there's no beauty nor peace in this winter

"Hello, Dr. Lim" Lim sighed and took a seat from across him. What was she supposed to do? She's never left in these kind of situations. But then again, she really needed to do something at least

"How're you feeling?" She was met with no answer but silence and it worried her to think she'd stepped into his territory too far and too deep. However, when he finally let out a voice, she felt relief wash over her

"I don't know" Alright that's it, she needed to do something, distract him just as Aaron had said. Before she could say anything, her worries crawled back when she glanced at him to try to read him through expressions only to find something else

Lim could see tears forming in his eyes and some stray ones had already rolled down his cheeks, he grasped his cup tightly while rubbing it, his breathing becoming more and more unstable. Lim hold back her tongue as she could feel herself beginning to panic at the sight

"He would've been 24" His voice cracked as more tears began to run down. Lim tried to reach out to him. She stood up and sat down on the chair just a bit closer to him. He avoided looking at her but she could see him trying to calm his breathing down

"I couldn't save him" The sentence made her realize, the guilt and sorrow radiated from him reached out to her. Lim felt another wave of sadness coming as she watched her resident borderline hyperventilating as he remembered his brother's birthday

"It isn't your fault-"

"I'm a doctor now, I've saved lives, but I couldn't save him" She watched him, not wanting to do anything drastic in fear of scaring him away once again. She stayed with him, close and quiet, listening to what he had to say. If she was in the situation, she knew she would need a comforting presence nearby, and Lim wanted Shaun to feel that way

After a few minutes of tears and heavy breathing, she could see him finally coming back. The unstable breathing soon turned ragged but calm, the tears had stopped rolling and left his eyes red and puffy. She stayed close as a comforting presence, not wanting to let him be alone

Lim didn't know much about this 'Steve' person Shaun would affectionately mention as the little brother that gave him the drive to be a surgeon. All she knew he died from an accident and every year during his birthday and death date, Shaun wouldn't react so well. She had heard about the Evan Gallico kid and how Shaun is so determined to save the kid even though it's no use to the point even Neil had been worried about his hyperfixation. Apparently the kid looked like his little brother and she guessed Shaun only wanted closure and a chance to save him as a doctor when even that's hopeless. She couldn't imagine the feeling Shaun must've felt, he's good at hiding those. But on this day, she could plainly see Shaun in his most vulnerable state, grief overtaking him

Oh how she wished she could take it away from his shoulders. A child at age 14 having to see his younger brother die to such an accident and having to suffer each year from guilt and loneliness, no one should have that burden. No one should think for one the blood of their own siblings stained their hands. But all that's happened had happened and all Lim could do is be there to be the first line of safety and familiarity

The blizzard blew stronger outside of the hospital, angry and cold, snow gathering. Every warmth and comfort died under the wild wind of ice


	4. Spring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spring is the season of peace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final slot for Spring is here! Shaun experiencing seizure! First of all, I would like to say, I'm sorry for the long delay, this was requested by Kira
> 
> And I'm sorry if I depict seizures and Shaun's response wrong here. This is my first time writing seizures so please bare with me.
> 
> Note: Shaun is experiencing what's called a partial seizure where he'd stay concious while parts of his brain go on a cuckoo trip. That's my best explanation lmao

During the day he was okay, but something went wrong the moment the earth began to shake

It was a calming Spring to say the least. The transition from the coldness of Winter was quick, much to Shaun's delight. While he was alot more used to the cold than most, having to live under it in for years back in Wyoming, he still much preferred the cool breeze that's not too cold nor too hot, that wouldn't burn his skin as the extreme temperature graze his ever struggling body. It was cool, and it was comforting. Life bloomed in Spring, flowers began to show themselves and the green returning to the land as the snow melted to the ground as another source of water. Spring had always been his season of calm 

The hospital was buzzing with noises and patients coming in and out. His surrounding began to feel as if they were closing in, to the point it was nearly overwhelming. New patients came in mostly from accidents or illness carried from the Winter season. Or allergies. Usually Claire had that

He moved quickly, trying his best to avoid touching passing nurses and doctors rushing towards their patients. The beginning of Spring had always been a busy time, but it was nice in a way, going back to care for patients

"Good morning, Shaun" Claire had greeted him with a peppy smile. He could see her slightly runny nose, meaning she'd just had an encounter with allergies again. Instead of addressing it, as Jared had told him not to, he instead returned the greeting

"Good morning!" Claire sniffled a bit. Guess the allergies were alot worse. She looked around, observing the moving patients going every way

"To think all these people came in because of some accident during winter. There's already 5 patients coming in with broken bones from snowboarding! People really need to be careful!" Claire began to rant and his attention began to drift. He looked around intently at the patients and observed their symptoms. He spotted 5 had broken a limb of some sort, another 2 looked like at least a cracked rib judging by the huge darkening bruise, 8 looked like they were suffering from severe hypothermia, mostly children, and other 5 he could not make out from afar. There were many more but only 20 of those caught his eyes at the moment

"Well, look who's early" He came back to reality once the voice of his attending, Dr. Neil Melendez, was heard. He looked as ready and steady as he'd always been, with a familiar white tablet on his hand. He switched glances from him and Claire and he could see Melendez softening whenever Claire sniffled

"Allergies?"

"Worse season of the year" The words they exchanged were short yet were able to convey each their feelings

"Well, that'll pass. It's a busy day today, mostly filled with reckless teens but we'll make due. First patient of the day is 18, male, broken wrists from snowboarding last night before the snow melted-" He had taken to account at whether he would need surgery or not, what the proper treatment was, how long it would take for him to recover, and such. That is, if there were no more complications on the way

"Do any of you snowboard?" Melendez had suddenly asked with sudde interest, breaking Shaun's thought process

"Nope. Jared did, though" Melendez looked at him expectantly as Claire's answer had been an expected one

"No, it's too dangerous and could result in serious head injury" His answer was simple with a reason and his attending was nodding in approval

"Exactly, didn't know why these people even thought risking their lives was a good way to spend winter" He continued to complain as he drag the other two to tend to their first patient of the day

\---

Their shift was almost over, exhaustion was creeping on him as he went through several patients, some even more unbearable than the rest. He wasn't the one to miss out on work, he loved working in the hospital, but there were some occassions which he was so tired he couldn't wait to go home

"Murphy, go take this to the path lab" He didn't need to be told where to bring the vials of red liquid. He took the vials in his hand and rushed towards the pathology lab

He went up the upper floor towards the pathology lab only to be met with Carly, her tired smiled visible through the clear glass

"Hey Shaun" She greeted as usual and he nodded, as usual. He hander her the vials and explained the patient's details

"I'll have in ready in a few hours, alot of people's tests are still ongoing. Y'know, winter tradition I guess. I'll try to get it ready sooner" He figured if the reason made sense, there was no point in arguinf

"Okay. I'll be back in an hour" And with that, he left. Carly could only smile from behind

He walked towards the stairs to look for Melendez. He felt something odd, like a small shaking from beneath his feet on the land below him. The shaking sooner got faster and harder and it shook the floor almost immediately

"EARTHQUAKE!" Doctors, nurses, patients, and others began scrambling, trying to get a grip. Fortunately, the hospital was sturdy, either that or the earthquake was not enough to send ceilings falling down

He was starting to feel squeamish as he braced himself towards the emergency stairs. The shaking was starting to become stronger as he reached the door and opened it with force. He tried to walk down the stairs but his knees buckled under him and he fell down, left arm first on the cold concrete ground, halfway towards the lower floor. It was getting harder, the shaking getting wilder by the second. His whole world was rumbling and shaking, his vision showed the walls closing in, the ceiling closing in, trapping him. His head was pounding from the noises his ears had received, feeling as if they would bleed out any moment. 

The walls were getting closer, trapping him in, he couldn't breathe. Stress crept back up at him and left his condition in a worse position as the shaking did not subside. He tried to speak but nothing escaped his mouth, he tried to move but nothing, as if he had lost all control. His body was stiff yet he was conscious. Weird taste began invading his mouth, his ears were attacked with odd buzzing noises, his sight becoming blurry, he could feel something touching his skin but there was nothing. He could see his body beginning to twitch and jerk almost violently, his limbs especially. The sight, the feeling, it was overwhelming. He felt shaking, but he wasn't sure whether it was from himself or from the on going earthquake

He didn't know how long the feeling lasted, his brain had stopped functioning at this point. He felt like he'd been feeling like this for hours

Then, a blurred figure began to approach him, closing in on the already tight space between him and the wall. He jerked again, which made the figure stop their track. He felt the twitching and jerking beginning to subside, the odd taste leaving his mouth, the buzzing noises beginning to quiet down, and the walls beginning to move back, no longer trapping him. His body felt as if it was his own once again and he looked towards the figure that had tried to approach him

"Shaun?" Claire. Yes yes, she was Claire. He remembered. No longer was she a figure of constraint. He tried to move his body, slowly but surely. And finally he tried to speak

"Claire?" He could see Claire sighing in delight to see him back to his own state. He tried to sit up but everything was sore and his body felt light. He slowly got up on his back and leaned against the wall. No more shaking. The short earthquake was over

"You just had a seizure" Ah. That explained it. Although it took him awhile to figure it out

"Is the earthquake over?" Claire nodded, not wanting to say much. He nodded back

"What time is it?" He asked once again. Claire didn't take her eyes away from him

"It's 9:25. The earthquake happened an hour ago" Then it hit him, he remembered what his tasks were. He tried to stand up, only for his legs to give up on him. Claire caught him before he could crash down

"I need to check on the blood tests I gave to Carly" Claire could only nod in understanding

"I know. Just, take it easy" With those words, Shaun settled himself better on the ground, letting hia world rearrange itself before moving again

In Claire's line of thoughts were nothing but worry for her friend. He just had a seizure! And yet he swept it under the floor. Had this happened before? Was it often? More worry began building up as she watched him stared at the stairs

Spring was certainly a season of peace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That ends Griffin Village! Thank you for sticking by folks!

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment~


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